Engaged Family Gaminghttp://engagedfamilygaming.com
Providing parents the tools they need to be an active part of their children's gaming.Thu, 24 May 2018 02:23:31 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6EA Origins Access Vault – Family Friendly Games Listhttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-origins-vault-family-friendly-games-list/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-origins-vault-family-friendly-games-list/#respondWed, 23 May 2018 15:30:34 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=5865One of the premier features of the EA Origins Access program is unlimited access to games in the EA Origins Access Vault. Below is a list of all of the family friendly video games that are in the vault currently.… Read more.

One of the premier features of the EA Origins Access program is unlimited access to games in the EA Origins Access Vault. Below is a list of all of the family friendly video games that are in the vault currently.

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-origins-vault-family-friendly-games-list/feed/0EA Access Vault – Family Friendly Games Listhttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-access-vault-family-friendly-games-list/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-access-vault-family-friendly-games-list/#respondWed, 23 May 2018 15:00:14 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=5863One of the premier features of the EA Access program for Xbox One is unlimited access to games in the EA Access Vault. Below is a list of all of the family friendly video games that are in the vault currently.… Read more.

One of the premier features of the EA Access program for Xbox One is unlimited access to games in the EA Access Vault. Below is a list of all of the family friendly video games that are in the vault currently.

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/ea-access-vault-family-friendly-games-list/feed/0Overwatch Is Expanding Out of The Digital World!http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/overwatch-is-expanding-out-of-the-digital-world/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/overwatch-is-expanding-out-of-the-digital-world/#respondWed, 23 May 2018 14:00:09 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=6238Overwatch is celebrating its second anniversary as I write this. It has been wildly successful since the day it came out and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It boasts 27 diverse characters (each with their own dedicated fan community), 40 million players worldwide, and an eSports league that includes teams owned by the likes of Bob Kraft.… Read more.

Overwatch is celebrating its second anniversary as I write this. It has been wildly successful since the day it came out and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It boasts 27 diverse characters (each with their own dedicated fan community), 40 million players worldwide, and an eSports league that includes teams owned by the likes of Bob Kraft. That is, clearly, not enough, though. Overwatch is going to be expanding into the world of toys.

Hasbro is in the Mix

Hasbro and Activision Blizzard announced a partnership today that lists Hasbro as the master toy licensee for the Overwatch franchise. They will be creating a wide range of toys, board games, and other products using Overwatch characters. The announcement press release wasn’t very heavy on details, but we do know a few things.

The official Overwatch Twitter account tweeted out a message that Overwatch themed NERF Rivals guns will be coming sometime next year. The tweet, embedded below, doesn’t show us ANYTHING about the guns that they are making, but I think some of them are pretty obvious. I assume that we will see Soldier 76’s assault rifle, Tracer’s paired pistols, and Reaper’s shotgun pistols. There are 27 characters that each have distinct weapons, so I am sure we’ll see some interesting choices. The only real restriction I can think of is that the Rivals line shoots ping-pong ball like ammunition so that does limit the kinds of weapons they can use. Hanzo’s bow, for example, doesn’t fit into that mold.

Activision Blizzard has announced that they have entered a partnership with LEGO to release a variety of building sets at several different prices. They haven’t made any official announcements about what those sets will be (unfortunately), but the fact that they are happening at all is exciting enough for me and my kids. I suspect that the minifigures will be a big part of the draw for these sets. I know they won’t, but I hope that there will be some sort of box set that I can buy that will include them all.

It looks like Overwatch is going to keep expanding all over the place. It’s already a pillar of the video game space and it will soon be in our toy boxes. When will they get around to making it a movie?

What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/overwatch-is-expanding-out-of-the-digital-world/feed/0Family Board Game Review: Coder Bunnyzhttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/family-board-game-review-coder-bunnyz/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/family-board-game-review-coder-bunnyz/#respondTue, 22 May 2018 14:00:09 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=6136Coder Bunnyz is a coding game created by Samaira Mehta when she was a second grader. Her goal was to combine her love of bunnies and coding into a board game so that children of all ages could also learn to code.… Read more.

Coder Bunnyz is a coding game created by Samaira Mehta when she was a second grader. Her goal was to combine her love of bunnies and coding into a board game so that children of all ages could also learn to code. Coder Bunnyz is designed for 1-4 players ages 4 and older, and the difficulty scales up as players master game skills.

Game Components

Game Board

Die: with numbers 1-1-2-2-3-3

Code Cards in four colors

Move Forward

Turn Left

Turn Right

Jump

Repeat 2, Repeat 3, Repeat 4

Function

Bunnyz tokens

Bunnies (in each color)

Bug-Fixit!

Carrots

Destination (Park, Carnival, School, Zoo)

Fence

Puddle

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to navigate your bunny to their carrot and then to your destination first. There are thirteen variants in the game, and as the player skills increase the gameplay can advance with their skills.

There are four basic levels of play with sub skills introduced separately:

Level 1: Basic Coding

Teaches Sequence

Introduces jump

Introduces conditionals

Teaches Code-it!

Level 2: Advanced Coding (recommended for players 8 and up)

Repeat

Introduces Function

Level 3: Strategic and Code-it!

Single color

Mix-N-Match

Level 4: Pro Coding

Introducing Inheritance

Parallel Play (introducing Parallelism)

Getting List-Y

Queue-Y (Introducing Queue)

Stack Y (Introducing Stack)

The basic gameplay has a few consistent elements across all levels. These include selecting cards and programming the movement your rabbit takes to first get their carrot and then go to their destination. At some levels, the number of cards you draw is determined by rolling the die. The pool of Code Cards increases as you advance through the levels of play, and the cards become more complicated in what they represent.

Family Game Assessment

Coder Bunnyz is a great accessible game to introduce young children to the basics of coding and to develop coding skills in older children. I introduced it to my 6-year-old and he picked right up on the concept of planning the movement of his bunny. As a beginning player, he did benefit from some coaching, as well as the Bug-Fixit! Token to undo a move that would not have worked. We played through level 1.1 and 1.2 which is the most simplistic and introduces the sequence cards and the jump card.

Having thirteen variants of play included within the four basic levels allows the game to scale with the age and skill level of the players. This makes it challenging and engaging for players of all levels.

One thing we noticed while playing Coder Bunnyz was game board was bumped frequently causing the tiles to shift. This happened more while playing with younger players, though we were able to fix the board easily. Players who struggle with fine or gross motor skills may find the tiles shifting frustrating if the game board is bumped.

Educational Application

Coder Bunnyz also has a strong educational benefit. It introduces the basics of coding in a friendly and accessible format. Younger beginning players benefit from coaching and direct instruction on the best way to program the motion of their bunny. Older and more experienced players can create greater challenges with the board layout to refine their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

Conclusion

For any family or teacher looking to introduce the fundamentals of coding, Coder Bunnyz provides a wonderful tool. With the focus in education on problem-solving and STEM it is critical to support children in developing reasoning and planning skills. Coder Bunnyz is a tool that can help children develop skills that will be an asset to them in school and beyond.

Hello and Welcome to Engage!: A Family Gaming Podcast! This is episode 131. This week we are talking video games! First, our Crew talks about the newly announced Nintendo Switch Online Service. Then, after the break, Trevor Stricker from Mightier.

Hello and Welcome to Engage!: A Family Gaming Podcast! This is episode 131. This week we are talking video games! First, our Crew talks about the newly announced Nintendo Switch Online Service. Then, after the break, Trevor Stricker from Mightier.

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/episode-131-trevor-stricker-from-mightier-com-and-nintendo-online/feed/2Kickstarter of the Week: On Their Merry Wayhttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/kickstarter-of-the-week-on-their-merry-way/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/kickstarter-of-the-week-on-their-merry-way/#respondFri, 18 May 2018 14:00:53 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=6212

On Their Merry Way is a Robin Hood themed game we first saw at the Boston Festival of Independent Games (BFIG).

Can you give us a “Tale of the Tape” for your game? The title, genre, playtime, age ranges, etc.

On Their Merry Way is a path building game for 2-5 players ages 13+ that takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes.

On Their Merry Way is a Robin Hood themed game we first saw at the Boston Festival of Independent Games (BFIG).

Can you give us a “Tale of the Tape” for your game? The title, genre, playtime, age ranges, etc.

On Their Merry Way is a path building game for 2-5 players ages 13+ that takes roughly 45 to 60 minutes.

What is the elevator pitch?

On Their Merry Way is a unique path building game for 2-5 players, who take on the role of Robin Hood’s Merry Men, setting traps along the trails of Sherwood Forest and trying to fool the wealthy merchants during their travels.

When is your Kickstarter live?

May 15th 2018

Where are you in production/development? How close are you to complete?

On Their Merry Way is in the final prototyping stages and will be in production as soon as it reaches its funding goal.

Are there any other games that you think are comparable to your game?

On Their Merry Way is a one of a kind game that stands alone in the tabletop community. Some have compared it to tower defense style games but its unique path building mechanic is completely new.

You’re a game designer. You could have made any game you wanted. Why did you make THIS game?

At New Experience Workshop we strive to make games we want to play that don’t yet exist. On Their Merry Way is a completely unique experience that is fun and strategic in its own way.

What was your design process like?

We were inspired by the Tiny Epic model’s use of a low component count, three types of resources and a rich selection of choices to be made. However, as On Their Merry Way came to be, it developed into an entirely unique game that broke that mold and forged its own.

What is the number one reason why a family MUST purchase this game?

It’s a new type of challenge that provides something for all age levels. It provides a new challenge for older players who will enjoy figuring out the puzzle of path building, but provides equal footing for younger players as it is a completely new genre of game for everyone.

How long has this game been in development?

One year

What obstacles did you encounter making this game?

We struggled at first to find balance in all the moving parts of the game, but as we cut away some of the superfluous parts and got to the core of the game, we found that while certain aspects were fun in their own right, they added more complexity than necessary and ultimately detracted from the main experience.

What did your first prototype look like? *

Our first prototype was themed around the hay-day of Route 66 travel and featured cars in the traveler positions and roadside attractions in place of traps.

Why did you get into making games?

I feel fulfilled when I’m making games. Games provide a shared social construct for people to interact and have a good time, which I feel is more and more important in our ever-technologically involved world.

What other information do you want us to know about you, your company, and/or your game?

We are a two-person team working as hard as possible to bring our games to the world and share our joy with as many people as possible!

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/kickstarter-of-the-week-on-their-merry-way/feed/0Xbox Adaptive Controller Will Make Our Digital World More Accessiblehttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/xbox-adaptive-controller-will-make-our-digital-world-more-accessible/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/xbox-adaptive-controller-will-make-our-digital-world-more-accessible/#respondThu, 17 May 2018 14:00:54 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=6195There is a saying that says if you know one person with a disability, then you know exactly one person with a disability. Each person’s needs are unique and this created a special challenge for engineers who are making adaptive equipment to help them overcome challenges and participate in activities that many of us take for granted.… Read more.

There is a saying that says if you know one person with a disability, then you know exactly one person with a disability. Each person’s needs are unique and this created a special challenge for engineers who are making adaptive equipment to help them overcome challenges and participate in activities that many of us take for granted. The video game space has been particularly challenging in that regard. No one really thinks about how complex the controls in our games have gotten over the years. The Xbox One controller, for example, has over 17 buttons spread out over its surface. Some of them being face buttons that are intended to be pressed using a thumb, while others are triggers that need to be pulled using a pointer finger. The input variety is a potential problem for folks who may lack the use of all of their digits. But the challenges go beyond that. Controllers are heavy so it can be incredibly challenging for some someone with weak arm muscles due to injury or a degenerative illness to hold them for long periods.

There are some groups that have sprung up to help overcome these challenges for some people. The Able Gamers is one such organization. They formed to help build custom solutions for gamers with disabilities and to advocate on behalf of them with game publishers and console manufacturers. Unfortunately, their reach is limited. Custom setups can be incredibly expensive and require complex technical skills to build and maintain. This prevents them from helping as many people as they would like to.

Microsoft has stepped up to the plate to give organizations like theirs a wonderful tool. They have officially announced the Xbox Adaptive Controller. It’s a remarkable device that will open up the wide world of video games to a population that has desperately wanted to play but has been held back by unwieldy controllers and hesitant manufacturers.

It was partially leaked a few days ahead of its official announcement and when I saw the images out of context I was very concerned. How useful could this device be? It was a white box with a D-pad and two giant buttons. I had no idea how it would be useful to people with disabilities. The official announcement clear all of that up for me. The Adaptive Controller is more of an adapter/hub for additional control devices than it is a standalone controller. The back of the device is a long line of jacks to attach different devices like buttons, pedals, joysticks, and all manner of other mechanisms. The idea is to facilitate whatever kinda of custom setup a disables gamer might need without having to manufacture something specifically for them.

We can’t forget that this controller is being manufactured by Microsoft. Say what you will about them, but they are experts at designing, manufacturing, and delivering high-quality consumer electronics at scale. I have a hard time believing that a small company with less leverage would be able to produce a piece of equipment like this and sell it for $99.99.

Microsoft wasn’t alone either. They worked with several other Third Party developers like Logitech and Quadstick.

This aligns perfectly with Microsofts Gaming For Everyone initiatives. Microsoft’s CEO Jenny Lay-Flurrie wrote a blog post to help announce the device. In it she wrote, “In the long term, we believe that designing with and for people with disabilities will lead to innovations in ubiquitous inclusive computing. In the short term, it’s about ensuring that accessibility is woven into the fabric of how we design and build. Accessibility isn’t optional.”

Accessibility. Isn’t. Optional.

These words should be a call to action to all hardware manufacturers to step their respective games up.

Its rather fitting that this was announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. This is a day that is intended to encourage everyone to think about how we can reach a future where people of all abilities are able to enjoy our increasingly digital world together. Microsoft took a big step today. Here’s hoping that others will follow them.

If I took all of the best parts of Gauntlet and mashed them up perfectly with Avatar: The Last Air Bender I still don’t think I would have a game that is as good as Wizard of Legend.

I spent a lot of time playing cooperative games with my brother when we were kids. One of our favorites was Gauntlet. Neither of us were particularly good at games (he has since gotten much better than me) so we needed to work very hard to even clear a few maps. It was a challenge for us, and it was frustrating, but we would talk and plan for hours about how we would try to work together. The local cooperative play in Wizard of Legend evoked so many of those same feelings. I was terrible, and so was my oldest son. But, we both desperately wanted to be better, and, eventually, we did just that. It was a wonderful experience that we’ll both remember for a long time.

It may have been hard to succeed, but it wasn’t hard to play. We were both able to weave our basic spells into powerful routines that crushed our enemies as we whirled around the screen. Over time it became more like a dance than anything else. This dance became more complex as we earned more chaos gems during our runs through the game and used them to buy newer, more interesting, and more powerful spells.

There is no real story per se. You play as a wizard, or pair of wizards, who is completing a set of trials. These trials consist of a set of procedurally generated levels that follow a pattern of two basic stages attuned to an element (fire, ice, or earth) followed by a grand wizard boss. This pattern repeats three times. The key is that you don’t get a chance to recover health or save your progress in between stages. If you die, then your run is over and you have to start over. The only things you can keep are the chaos gems that you earn for defeating enemies. The spells you buy each fit into an element which helps determine their behavior and the type of damage they deal. Balancing the spells in your load out to make sure that they match both your play style and the types of enemies you expect to be facing is critical. This is especially true because many of the spells in the game affect your movement.

Each of these procedurally generated levels is populated by monsters that appear in patterns depending on the shape of the room. Some of the enemy groups can be brutally unfair, but skillful play and the appropriate spell selection will usually help bail you out. The enemy variety is lacking though. Many of them look like the same monster with a very small variation in powers.

At some point I have to talk about the name though right? I’ve been avoiding it, but I can’t just ignore it.”Wizard of Legend” is, as a title, about as inspired as soggy toast. It does a terrible job of cluing players in to the game that they will be playing. Here’s hoping that enough players can look past the name to get to the great game that lies behind it.

Family Gaming Assessment

It was rated PEGI 7 “because it contains violence that lacks any apparent harm or injury to fantasy or mythical beings and creatures and non-realistic looking violence towards characters which although human are not very detailed.”

I think these ratings are accurate. There is no doubt that it is a violent game, but all of the action is directed at inhuman monsters.

Playability

Wizard of Legend is accessible. It doesn’t require complicated button combinations to move around the map and attack enemies. It is, however, very hard and will likely be frustrating to younger gamers (or older ones for that matter) who are easily frustrated.

There is a fair amount of text to read. You need it to help understand what your spells do. But, it isn’t essential. Younger gamers could get by with help from a more experienced reader.

Conclusion

I would recommend Wizard of Legend to a family that is looking for a challenge to take on together. Its ideal for siblings or a parent-child combo that enjoy playing games together and coordinating strategies. I truly enjoyed my time with my son while playing this game.

]]>http://engagedfamilygaming.com/videogames/family-video-game-review-wizard-of-legend/feed/0Family Game Preview: Bumúntúhttp://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/family-game-preview-bumuntu/
http://engagedfamilygaming.com/board-games/family-game-preview-bumuntu/#respondTue, 15 May 2018 14:00:47 +0000http://engagedfamilygaming.com/?p=5389 Bumúntú is a two to four player game by Gameworthy Labs designed by Tim Blank which is in the final stages of development and was available to be played in its prototype form. It is an animal themed game which also incorporate cultural elements of the Kongo culture in Central Africa. … Read more.

Bumúntú is a two to four player game by Gameworthy Labs designed by Tim Blank which is in the final stages of development and was available to be played in its prototype form. It is an animal themed game which also incorporate cultural elements of the Kongo culture in Central Africa. It is being published by WizKids and will come to market sometime in 2018!

We had a chance to play a prototype version of the game before its designer found a publisher and came away very impressed. We had a STRONG feeling that Tim would find a publisher so we held our impressions until we knew for sure that had happened.

Game Contents

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game an animal token is placed on each space of the game board. Each player received a pawn and places it on a animal token on their turn. They can move one space at the beginning of their turn and if the player lands on an animal they can perform a certain movement depending on the animal. For example the flamingo can fly up and land on any flamingo token on the board, and the rhinoceros can go in a straight line to the end of the board and knock any player’s token out of the way. The players also collects the animal token when they land on them. There is a symbol on the token which indicates and additional task to complete. Symbols include Crops, Nkisi, Yowa and bordered tokens. Tokens with a border the player can move one animal on a scoring continuum, which bumps others around. Nkisi earns players points at the end for most collected and second most collected. Yowa gains points at then end of the game according to position on track. You can move your token or opponents when you collect a Yowa token. There are four positions on the track 0, 1,3,6 and it goes in a circle, so you could bump an opponent to zero. Crop tokens allow you to collect a crop cards. To earn points you try and gather unique crops, and the number of unique crops dictates your score in that area (based on the scoring guide). The crops were also foods commonly grown in the Kongo. Once all the animal tokens have been collected the game ends.

Family Game Assessment

This game has good potential for a family game for older children. There were multiple steps to each turn in the game and the strategy and the scoring was a bit complex. The movement for each animal was different, and there was too much complexity. While there was no age noted on the game, this is easily and 8+ game for an experienced gamer, and may be better suited for a 10+ recommendation. The basic content of the game is family friendly and all elements of the game have significance or symbolism for the Kongo Culture. The game has the potential to spark an interest in learning more about the Kongo culture and can be a wonderful social studies link in older children.

Conclusion

Bumúntú is an interesting and entertaining game. The game play which multi step per turn was fairly easy to learn, and the game was fun to play. Overall, Bumúntú was enjoyable to play and could be a good addition to a family game collection when it is published later this year!

Hello and Welcome to Engage!: A Family Gaming Podcast! This is episode 130. This week we are talking board games and this week Stephen and Rob are joined by the team at Runaway Parade games to talk about Fire Tower!

Hello and Welcome to Engage!: A Family Gaming Podcast! This is episode 130. This week we are talking board games and this week Stephen and Rob are joined by the team at Runaway Parade games to talk about Fire Tower!